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Sbrisolona — Italian Crumbly Almond and Corn Flour Cake
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/desserts/sbrisolona-italian-crumbly-almond-and-corn-flour-cake
About this recipe
Sbrisolona is a low, very crumbly cake from Mantua made with almonds and fine corn flour. Equal amounts of type 500 wheat flour, yellow corn flour and sugar form a loose base that butter and egg yolks bind into irregular crumbs. Chopped skin-on almonds give it a distinct texture, while whole almonds sit on top. This version uses only butter, with no lard. Do not knead the mixture into a smooth ball, and do not pack it down in the pan: the surface should stay uneven, and the cooled cake should break easily. Hot sbrisolona may still be fragile, so let it cool completely in the pan, then break it into pieces by hand.
Ingredients
Crumbly Almond Cake
200 g type 500 wheat flour
200 g very finely ground yellow corn flour, not cornstarch or coarse polenta grits
200 g raw whole almonds with brown skins, divided: 180 g to chop and 20 g left whole for the top
200 g cool unsalted butter (82% fat)
200 g superfine white sugar
2 raw yolks from size M eggs, approximately 36 g, without the whites
2 g finely grated yellow lemon zest, without the white pith
1 g salt
Steps
Have ready a 28 cm metal springform pan, a large bowl and a cooling rack; line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Preheat a conventional oven (no fan) to 170°C. Set aside 20 g whole almonds for the top and coarsely chop the remaining 180 g. Cut the cool butter into small cubes.
Put the type 500 wheat flour and fine yellow corn flour in the bowl. Add the sugar, salt, lemon zest and chopped almonds, then mix. Add the cool butter and briefly rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles damp sand with larger crumbs; do not work it into a paste.
Add both yolks and work them through the mixture with your fingers, briefly combining the ingredients for 2–3 minutes. The mixture should form irregular crumbs, mostly approximately 1–2 cm across, with visible almond pieces and some finer, loose material. It should hold together under light pressure and crumble easily, not form a uniform dough. Do not knead it into a smooth ball, and do not add liquid.
AI-generated Scatter the crumbs in the prepared springform pan in an even layer approximately 1.5–2 cm thick. Spread them to the edges with your fingers, but do not tamp them down and do not press the whole surface into a compact slab. Arrange the reserved 20 g whole almonds on top and settle them only lightly into the crumbs, leaving the surface uneven.
AI-generated Place the pan on a rack slightly below the middle of the preheated oven and bake at 170°C on the conventional setting for 50–60 minutes. The surface, including the center, should be matte, dry and golden, with no wet, raw-looking patches; the edges may brown a little more. If the center stays pale or looks raw, bake for another 5–10 minutes, loosely covering any edges that darken too quickly with aluminum foil. The hot cake may still be fragile; do not bake it longer solely because it is not firm.
AI-generated Set the springform pan on the cooling rack and leave the cake in the pan for at least 90 minutes, until completely cool. If it is still warm, let it cool longer; only when cold does the cake develop its crumbly, brittle texture. Unclip the ring and carefully slide the cake, still on its parchment, onto a board or cake stand. Break it into irregular pieces by hand and serve in 12 dessert portions.
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